6 Best LGBTQ Romance Books From Independent Authors

9 minute read

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Celebrate Pride With Unforgettable Indie Love Stories

In honor of Pride Month, we’ve gathered a list of LGBTQ+ indie romance novels that reflect the diversity and vibrancy of queer love stories. From high-stakes romantasy to contemporary rom-coms, these books explore love, identity and connection. Get ready to fall in love with fresh voices, compelling characters and romances that are sure to spice up your Pride reading list!

1. The Risk Taker

by Stephanie Alves


isbn: 9781917180184,template: list, title: The Risk Taker

A straight-laced goalie clashes with his care-free roommate in this teammates-to-lovers hockey romance, perfect for fans of Heated Rivalry.

Nathan: I’ve built my entire life around control. I do what’s expected of me, keep my head down and avoid anything that might drag me off course. Which is why, when Coach gives me the task of keeping Logan Gray in check, it feels like a cruel joke.

He’s too loud, parties too hard, takes nothing seriously and has made an art out of getting under my skin. He doesn’t try to hide how much fun he has pushing my buttons by walking around shirtless, tossing out flirty comments and refusing to give me any space.

I tell myself I can handle him, that it doesn’t matter how many times I catch myself watching him when I shouldn’t. I’ve spent too long being careful to let someone like Logan Gray knock me off balance, but it becomes hard to remember that when he doesn’t play by the rules.

I’ve avoided risk my entire life. But lately, I’m not sure I want to.

Logan: I’ve always been good at getting under people’s skin. It’s kind of a talent — one that Nathan Hayes is immune to. He’s disciplined to a fault, annoyingly focused and has spent the last two years barely acknowledging my existence. But when Coach decides his son is the perfect guy to keep me in line, that all changes.

Suddenly, he’s watching me. Paying attention. Frowning every time I push his buttons. And I push. Obviously. Because he’s straight, untouchable and completely unaffected. Or so I thought.

Turns out, Nathan isn’t quite as immune as he pretends to be. One touch and one unexpected confession is all it takes until we’re sneaking around. I’ve never been one to turn down a little fun, and if my tightly wound, rule-following roommate wants someone to help him figure things out? I’m more than willing to be of service.

What can I say? I’m a very supportive teammate.


2. Meetings with the Minotaur

by M A Wardell

Big horns. Big secrets. Even bigger … chemistry.

Having a crush on your boss is bad enough — but when he’s a literal monster and you lied on your résumé, things are about to get complicated. Get ready for workplace shenanigans and serious spice in this delightfully hilarious monster romance.

Jamie: My five-year plan did not include impersonating a high-level executive to impress the big boss, but here we are. One day I’m slinging mail, the next I’m in a meeting trying not to drool over the CEO’s thighs like a disaster in khakis.

He thinks I’m a brilliant strategist. The truth? I’m just trying to keep my ‘professional’ smile in place while staring at his horns. But the more time we spend together in late-night work sessions, the more I realize the heat between us isn’t just my imagination. Can I help win the company’s biggest account and the Minotaur of my dreams, or will my little lie get me sent back to the basement?

Magnus: Discipline is my salvation. As CEO of Labyrinth Solutions, I maintain control. In the boardroom, in my life and over the beast that lives inside my suit. Then, Jamie Torres walks into my world. He’s a new junior strategist; sharp, ambitious, and so distractingly handsome it makes my head spin. His scent is peppermint and temptation, and his shy glances at my horns make my possessive instincts roar to life. But keeping my hands off him might be the one merger I’m not powerful enough to negotiate.

Meetings with the Minotaur is the spicy and funny first book in the Love at Labyrinth Solutions monster romance series. If you like fated mates, significant size differences and workplace shenanigans, you’re in for a treat. Begin your next adventure with Meetings with the Minotaur now.


isbn: 9781964146188,template: list, title: Meetings with the Minotaur


3. Queering Him

by Katherine Wela Bogen


isbn: 9798998687303,template: list, title: Queering Him

This gripping debut follows two flawed yet deeply relatable characters as they grapple with identity, sexuality, and self-discovery. If you’re craving an LGBTQ+ romance that’s unapologetically messy, look no further.

For fans of books by Sally Rooney and LUSTER by Raven Leilani. In this propulsive debut novel, QUEERING HIM, Katherine Wela Bogen chronicles the scalding-hot story of millennial enemies turned lovers Avra and Kieran. Bullied by Kieran at high school, Avra begins to recognize something familiar in his threatening, but always lingering, gaze. What if he’s cruel not only because he fears her out queerness but because he also secretly covets it for himself?

Mutual fascination slowly evolves into obsession, tethering Avra and Kieran to each other through early adulthood as they embark on a relationship both perilous and revelatory.

A heart-shattering tale of erotic yearning, QUEERING HIM is also a provocative contribution to social and psychological discourse about bisexuality, queer identity and kink. Avra and Kieran will return in the second and third installments of this searing and tantalizing trilogy. 2026 IngramSpark® Editorial Selection – Romance


4. This Splintered Sea

by Haley J Munroe

Cursed pirates, deadly trials and political intrigue collide in this action-packed sapphic romantasy, perfect for readers who want high adventure and heart-pounding romance.

Fifty competitors, three trials, two stolen identities, and one princess desperate enough to risk it all. Let the games begin. Killing her betrothed and fleeing an arranged marriage was meant to free Briar, the Princess of the Sea, from a life trapped on land and chained to a throne. Powerful, ruthless and wild, she once sailed the seas under her queen mother’s rule as the feared captain of The Twelfth Night.

A decade later, she’s a pickpocket and the king’s favorite courtesan in a foreign, enemy court, working as an undercover spy while having a secret affair with the queen. As punishment for her murderous revenge, she’s stuck on land-cursed, forgotten to history and stripped of her ruthless power that once made her so formidable. One spray of the sea against her skin will kill her.

She’s trapped, hiding in plain sight, until the King announces a competition in which the winner will be granted a single wish, a wish that could undo her curse. Determined, she conceals herself as a pirate and magically seals herself to The Gales and its trials.

Only, the pirate identity she stole is being hunted by notorious bounty hunter and fellow trials competitor, Kressa, the same bounty hunter Briar is supposed to seduce and spy on as a courtesan. The same woman whose kiss ignited Briar’s dormant magic, breaking all the rules of her curse.

The adventure in “Pirates of the Caribbean” meets the romance of The Serpent of the Wings of Night in This Splintered Sea, a heart-wrenching sapphic romance full of adventure, intrigue and betrayal.


isbn: 9798994459515,template: list, title: This Splintered Sea


5. Accounting for Love: A Spicy Gay Opposites-Attract Romance

by Bellamy West


isbn: 9798994236208,template: list, title: Accounting for Love: A Spicy Gay Opposites-Attract Romance

Getting stuck in LA traffic is the worst-until a handsome man in the next car over proves that love is worth the detour. Opposites attract in this heartfelt contemporary romance.

Taylor Thomas, a vision in a business suit, is a gay accountant who takes everything too seriously. He doesn’t depend on anyone, and there’s a lot on his plate between tax season and helping plan his sister’s wedding. He needs more fun in his life, and Gabriel is the man for the job.

Gabriel Rivera is the good-time guy. A bisexual botanist who talks to his plants, has too many hobbies and ditches work to hang with his queer rec volleyball team. Gabriel isn’t looking for a serious relationship, but when he spots the hottie in the car beside him on the highway, he can’t resist shooting his shot.

As things heat up between Taylor and Gabriel, their insecurities become relationship roadblocks. Will love become the liability they have always believed it to be, or can it become an asset?

This is the first book in the Ace of Baes series, following a queer found family to their happily-ever-afters. Accounting for Love can be read and enjoyed as a standalone. Be prepared for closed-door sports and open-door spice.


6. I Accidentally Locked Down a Witch

by Jessica Cage

When a witch from another dimension seeks out a fitness guru for some very personal training, sparks fly, spells misfire and hearts get caught in the crossfire in this spicy, snarky paranormal rom-com. Who has time for crazy ex-girlfriends and witches from new worlds when you’re trying to build an empire?

Shontae Carter has built her fitness sanctuary from the ground up, armed with protein bars, sass and zero tolerance for diet culture nonsense. She’s not just helping women lift weights, she’s helping them lift each other up. And with a big TV spot to drum up new business, everything is right on track … until a mysterious (and absurdly gorgeous) new client named Likosa walks through the door with killer cheekbones and an energy that crackles … literally.

Likosa isn’t your typical gym-goer. She’s a witch from a shadowy realm known as The Bane. Her plan? Cozy up to Shontae, tap into the strange power hidden in her aura and use it to break open a portal home. But nothing in her ancient practices prepared her for protein smoothies, cardio class or the devastatingly cute way Shontae blushes when Likosa flirts with her.

With demons from The Bane tracking Likosa’s every move, and Shontae discovering secrets about her own power, they’ll have to decide: fight for their separate homes, or build one together? Spicy, snarky and full of heart, I Accidentally Locked Down a Witch is a magical rom-com for anyone who believes strength comes in all sizes. And that love might just be the strongest magic of all.

 

isbn: 9781958295809,template: list, title: I Accidentally Locked Down a Witch

If you enjoyed this selection of LGBTQ romance books, be sure to check out our roundup of bisexual romance novels, cool girl lesbian romances, gay romance stories with happy endings or queer rom-coms.